As a teacher, there are times many of us will substitute for our peers. Substitutes are fantastic professionals who do a tremendous service for schools. If you have some great substitute teachers, treat them well. But there are things you can do to help good substitute teachers be even better.

Some teachers just leave short notes. Remarkably, one of the best things I’ve done in a long time is to create my own substitute teacher manual. In addition to giving me peace of mind, it also helps my substitute do a better job of meeting the needs of students in my classroom. Furthermore, a great substitute teacher manual also helps kids make progress by helping the substitute see the big picture and more.

Let’s talk about how. In today’s show I talk with Simon Youd, a teacher who has had quite a bit of experience as a substitute (relief) teacher. He compares a variety of experiences and shares what works and what doesn’t.

I encourage you to reflect on today’s show and take some time to create a substitute teacher manual including some emergency lesson plans for those days when you’re not well or just have to be out unexpectedly. There are also many other items you need to leave behind: allergy information, seating charts, forms, and commonly asked questions.

Today’s Sponsor: Bloomz

Bloomz is your one-stop solution for parent-teacher communications. More than just connecting with their cell phones, you can send long or short messages. You can share pictures and links. You can even coordinate volunteer schedules, donations, and parent-teacher conferences. I’m using Bloomz in my classroom.

Show Notes:

Leave messages for your relief teacher helping them understand how does this lesson fits into the theme and what is coming up next? By knowing this information, it helps you and the students connect to what they are doing

If there is a relief folder you could leave that could help understand you class….these are things we don’t know about your class.

Who is Simon Youd?

Simon Youd is a husband and father of 6, currently a relief teacher, looking for permanent work, living in Port Sorell Tasmania, Australia. He has taught PE, grade 5/6, high school math, and science. Simon is interested in the purposeful integration of technology, personalising learning for teachers and students, and podcasting.

Every Classroom Matters (Recent Shows)

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